Of Things to Come
by Cybernetic Denim
Summary: Eight months have passed since Oslo's supposed downfall, and things aren't quite quite as peaceful as everyone would like them to be.
1. Prologue

Hey everyone!

Just as a forewarning, this is my first Skyland fic ever, so if there's inconsistencies or something wrong, I apologize :)

Well, I'm not very good in the way of intros or anything, so I guess just know that I don't own Skyland or the characters - just the fic.

-Denim!

* * *

Light trickled in through the slits in her eyes as she slowly, painfully opened them. Everything turned bright – too bright, too quickly, it felt as if her eyes were burning, on fire, and hot tears fell as she quickly shut them, surrounding herself in darkness once again. Her breathing staggered as her first conscious breath of air in god only knew how long entered her body, and the only thing she could register was the feeling of excruciating pain that shot through her shoulder and back as she attempted to move.

Pain. Everywhere, there was pain. Pain in her head as it pounded in time with her pulse, pain in her body, her arm – God, her arm. So intense was the pain in her arm, she almost couldn't feel it. She wished she couldn't feel it. She'd never been a slave to her pain before, never let it restrict her in any way, but this…never before had she felt such an overwhelming wave of nausea-inducing _pain_. Even the small breaths she'd limited herself to caused daggers to stab their way up her spine, neck, and down her arms. More tears spilled down her cheeks as she continued to wish, to pray, that it would all just end.

The pounding in her head only grew louder as voices sounded in her ears, dull, words muffled and lost in the steady, rhythmic assault on her brain. She tried to say something to them, anything to get their attention, but stopped when she faintly heard a voice next to her; a voice so soft over the noise in her brain that she barely recognized it. But she did recognize it, and for a slight second it gave her hope before she blacked out again.

* * *

Pale blue eyes inspected the trembling body lying on the table before him, watched the way her hand would clench spasmodically, how her jaw would tighten, how her leg twitched, toes curled, eyes squeezed tightly closed. He watched tears make wet trails down delicately curving cheeks, unbearable pain etched over every feature on the unconscious figure, and disappointment filled those blue eyes. He made sure to let it show.

"I told you," he said, not looking away from the table, "to have her done by now." He didn't have to look to know the man standing beside him was trembling nearly as bad as the woman on the table, and he secretly reveled in the terror his anger instilled in all of his subordinates.

"S-sir." Uneven breathing and a slight choking sound followed the simple word. "S-sir, we are t-trying, b-but-"

"But?" A dark undertone added itself to his voice, further startling the man who continued to stammer his way through his sentence.

"B-but the t-time limit – it's too sh-short to do what y-you are asking of us, C-commander."

"Eight months is not long enough for you?" he asked, finally turning to look at the white-coated man, annoyed by the way his hands gestured frantically through the air while he attempted to explain himself. "Is it really so beyond your abilities that it will take you even _longer _to complete this simple task?"

"S-sir! I-it's hardly s-simple, sir! Her body is-"

"I do not want excuses. I gave you specifications and a deadline, I want _results!_" He wished there was a desk or a wall nearby he could have slammed his fist onto to help prove his point to this bumbling idiot, but luck was not on his side, so he settled on clenching his fists and raising his voice. Almost as effective. "You have until the end of the month to get her functional, or there will be consequences!" He glared a moment longer, then looked back to the pale body on the table before leaving altogether.

Soon. He needed her soon, or he would surely go crazy.


	2. Chapter 1

"So, Mahad, how does it feel to finally be an adult? Think you're ready to start taking on some responsibility in your life?" Lena giggled and darted out of the way of her older brother's playful hand swipe, sticking her tongue out when she was a safe distance away.

"Oh, little sister, you just wish you even had an idea what responsibility was," he replied, trying to get close enough to do something besides bat at the air. "Don't worry, big brother will teach you."

"As if!" She let out another laugh followed by a small scream as Mahad's hand nearly made contact with her arm, stumbling slightly in her attempt to get further away. "As if _you_ could teach me anything about responsibility, _big brother_." She stuck her tongue out again and ran away, calling something over her shoulder that Mahad couldn't quite catch over the noise in the pavilion.

He waved his hand dismissively in the air while watching his younger sister stop at the bench Cheng was sitting at and join him, smiling for a moment at whatever game the two of them started to play. It was sweet, for lack of a better word, how much like siblings they had become since they'd moved to Puerto Angel just over a year back. It had come to feel like home, almost as much as Babylonia did, though Mahad would never admit that to himself, and he was happy that Lena had made friends so quickly with everyone. He supposed it helped to keep the homesickness away if thoughts of home rarely entered the mind.

Dark bangs fell in equally dark eyes as he softly shook his head, shifting his gaze to look around at his surroundings. The main pavilion in Peurto Angel had been redecorated in his honor; banners of red and white bearing different birthday phrases hung from the fronts of houses, music played loudly from a sound system he still hadn't managed to locate, food had been placed on tables that were scattered all around, and the residents had long since come out of their homes to dance, eat, socialize, and just party. All for him and his birthday. The "_Big One-Eight!_" as Wayan had called it. A soft, contented sigh left his lips at the thought.

"So, birthday boy, how about you tell _me_ how it feels to finally be an adult?"

Mahad turned to find Dahlia standing just a few paces behind him, arms crossed over her chest and smile on her lips, and he felt a small flush rise up in his cheeks. He played it off, though, like he always did – arms behind his head and a big grin on his face. "Ah, you know, it doesn't really _feel_ that different. It's just the principle of it." He stepped back until he was standing next to her, looking her in the eye. "You know, eighteen, that magical number where I become a man, rite of passage and all that."

Dahlia stifled a laugh. "A man? Please, being a man means you have the maturity of one, and I don't think you'd know maturity if it bit you in the ass."

"Hey!" Mahad attempted to land a playful punch on her arm, but she jumped out of the way, laughing when he fumbled and nearly fell to the ground. "You and Lena, I swear!" He straightened up, dusting off his pants and stuffing his hands in the pockets, grin back in place.

Dahlia laughed, arms crossed once again as she stood beside him, looking out at the party. "Hate to break it to you, Mahad, but your sister and I only speak the truth."

"Yeah, yeah, immature, irresponsible – heard it all and more from Cortes already."

She laughed softly. "Sorry." They fell silent for several long moments before Dahlia spoke up again. "So, it doesn't feel any different at all? You don't _feel_ eighteen, all grown up and, as you put it, a _man_?" A small smirk played across her lips and sarcasm laced her voice, but he could see the true curiosity hidden behind her eyes.

He thought about her question for a few moments, watching the residents of Puerto Angel, people that had become something like his family, dance. _Did_ he feel different? Life had changed so dramatically in the last year – being forced to move from his home, losing their mother and trying to find her, worrying about her every waking moment, wondering when things would become normal again. His concern for his sister had grown exponentially since she started discovering exactly how powerful she had become. And there was Wayan and Cortes, the closest he'd come to having a brother and father figure; Cheng, a little brother and friend; The Vector had become something of a mentor to not only his sister, but to him as well. And then, of course, there was Dahlia.

His relationships with everyone had changed so much; he'd made new friends, family, enemies, discovered new things about himself he never thought he would have before, and discovered how much he could care about someone. True, his playfulness won out more often than his serious side, but inside, he felt as if the last year had really brought him a long way.

"I guess I don't feel _different_ so much as I feel like I've really earned this last year." He chewed the inside of his lip for a moment, thinking about his words before laughing out loud. "That doesn't even make any sense."

"Yes it does," she snapped as though she were berating him. "It makes a lot of sense."

"I guess." He stuffed his hands further in his pockets, tracing lines in the dirt with the tip of his shoe. "But come on, we can get all philosophical later. It's my _birthday_, let's go dance, drink, party!" He started to walk away, attempting to pull her along with him, but she resisted, pulling him back.

"Mahad-"

"Oh, I get it," he grinned, grabbing her hand in his. "Birthday kiss for the birthday boy? Okay, ready when you are!" He said it in jest, of course, but he could still feel his collar getting hot as he said it, and the secret wish that maybe this time she'd agree was still as present as ever, but he wasn't disappointed when she pushed his hand away and laughed.

"Dream on, lover boy! Come on, let's go!" She walked away from him, looking back over her shoulder and waving when he didn't follow right away.

Mahad smiled as he caught up to her, forgetting for now the conversation they'd had, and allowing his carefree nature to take over. It was his party, and he was going to enjoy it.

* * *

It was never difficult to pretend that leaving work was something Alice looked forward to every day. Ever since Diwan had sent her out to the dank office building on a remote edge of Skyland she wasn't even sure the Sphere had control over, work had become even duller than she thought it ever could be. Filing papers for court cases that were more boring than her new life, organizing files that looked as though they hadn't been touched in thirty years – and judging by the dates, she wasn't very far off – and just in general spending her time in a tiny room in a tiny building that felt far too much like a prison than a job had not become something Alice found very appealing about her current situation.

So, when the time came for everyone to go home each day, Alice didn't complain. At least the little house she'd managed to get at a reasonable price was something nice to come home to. The small sofa was worn and soft, the carpet was plush under her feet, the kitchen was small, but she didn't need a lot of room to cook meals for one every night, and her bed was warm and inviting. She was even thinking of adopting a kitten.

No, she had nothing to complain about when getting off work, especially when she was meeting her friends from Guardian school. It gave her a certain kind of satisfaction to know that, even though no one from the school was supposed to make any kind of contact with her, her friends, who were also some of the few people she'd managed to convince that the Sphere was wrong before she left, did everything they could to keep in contact with her. The visits were sporadic, and the messages she got giving a time, date, and place to meet were cryptic at best, but still, they came to see her. It was small consolation, but she liked to think of these meetings as the beginnings of the Guardian rebellion against the Sphere.

Tonight was one of the nights they'd chosen to meet.

Two of her closest friends, Tian and Bada, had managed to make it, each of them dressed in their uniforms – black pants and black tunic-esque tops with colored bands around their waists indicating their ranks. Blue. Nearly full-fledged Guardians, almost ready to use their abilities to protect the Sphere on their own instead of under the watchful eye of the older, more experienced Guardians. She herself had only made red, two colors below blue, showing everyone that she was one step above being just out of school. She was envious that they still wore their Guardian uniforms when hers had been taken from her and incinerated, but she just kept reminding herself that in the end, if all their plans went through, the Guardians would no longer exist. The _Sphere_ would no longer exist.

"Alice!" Tian exclaimed happily, pulling the smaller girl into his arms and hugging her tightly. Tian had been something of a mentor to Alice in school, the two of them often spending time together in the library discussing political matters and other topics that Alice had been overly opinionated about back then. Now, though, they were simply good friends. "It's so good to see you! Oh, Alice," he let her go and held her by the shoulders at arms length, trying to be surprised. "You've let yourself go!"

He was referring, of course, to her black pants and dark green tank top, something her old self would have deemed too casual to wear, and her hair that had now grown several inches past her ears. "Well, what do you expect being thrown in the backwater slums of Skyland? Name brands?" She laughed, then looked over at Bada, breaking free of Tian to give her a hug. They hadn't started becoming close until just before Alice was forced to leave, but she still loved to see her. "How have you been?"

"Just fine, Ali, just fine." She smiled back, shaking her bangs out of her eyes and squeezing Alice's hand. "Things seem to be going pretty well back at the school, too. We've managed to talk to a few more people, and now it seems like everyone is talking about it." Her smile grew as she talked. "We haven't confronted a lot of the students, but I think a lot of them believe it!"

"Of course," Tian cut in, ever the voice of reason, "there are people that are getting angry because of it. They don't want to hear that everything they grew up knowing to be true is a lie. We're just lucky none of the instructors or, Heaven forbid, Oslo has found out yet."

"Although with Acasia's big mouth, it'll only be a matter of time before one of them does," Bada said with something like irritation in her voice.

"Yes, well, we all know Acasia's the biggest brown-noser at the academy on top of everything else. I'm surprised she can breathe with how far her nose is shoved up Oslo's-"

"Is there news on anything else?" Alice cut in, trying not to grin at the implications of her friend's words. "Anything at all? I'm ready to send a message as soon as there's anything to be said."

"Well, obviously nothing can happen any time soon because the number of people who are willing to listen to us are few and far between, but we're trying. It's not like we can just jump out there and start talking to everyone we come across. It's been difficult enough trying to avoid suspicion in the people we _have_ managed to talk to."

"Well, slow and steady won the turtle the race, did it not? At least you've been able to talk to people without too much consequence so far, right?"

Bada crossed her arms over her chest and nodded. They all knew the truth in that statement. It was only a matter of time before Oslo did catch wind of this rebellion in the works, and when that happened they could only imagine what he would do to them. "Right. Well. We're doing everything we can. But don't worry Alice, when there's anything at all, we'll send you a message. We just have to be patient, okay?"

Alice had decided long ago that patience was not her strong suit, but she knew she had no other option. With a sight of defeat, she nodded. "Yes, alright. But the _second_ you hear something-"

"Yes, Alice, we promise." Bada smiled and pulled her friend into another hug. "We have to get going, though. They'll start wondering what's going on if they notice that our patroller's stopped for too long. Just hang in there, alright?" She landed a soft kiss on Alice's cheek before allowing Tian to hug her as well.

"And take care of yourself. We know how lonely it must be all alone out here." He squeezed her tightly before letting her go, smiling apologetically. "Kyle sends his regards. He's going to try to come out here next, so look forward to that." He winked and laughed as he walked back towards the patroller that had docked on the edge of this abandoned block.

"T-tell him that…I'm waiting. Alright?"

Bada laughed and nodded back. "Of course. Bye, Alice." She waved and ran to catch up with Tian, leaving Alice alone with nothing but the ship that would take her back home. She always felt empty after these meetings, having only glimpses of what it was like to have friends that truly cared about her, and she couldn't help the few tears that slid slowly down her cheeks.

* * *

"_Bada – it's Korean," the dark haired woman explained to fifteen-year-old Alice while she adjusted the collar of her tunic. Alice didn't know what Korean was, and her expression must have showed her confusion. "Korean. Well, it's a dead language now, but back when the Earth was whole, there was a little country called Korea. I'm descended from them, though somewhere along the lines, my genes got mixed in with other nationalities. I think I'm…a quarter Korean."_

_Alice found her interest piqued – a dead language? Earth when it was whole? She'd only heard a few stories off and on throughout school – the Sphere didn't talk of Earth as a whole except when it came to the prophecy – and she always yearned to know more. _

"_Bada, in Korean, means 'sea.' You've heard of seas, right Alice?"_

_She nodded, though the word held very little meaning to her._

"_Back when Earth was whole, there was water everywhere! Seventy percent of the Earth was covered in water! Oceans, seas, lakes, rivers – just everywhere! Can you imagine it, Alice?" She turned dreamy eyes on the younger girl, wide with dreams and excitement. "It's such a scarce commodity now, it's hard to imagine not having to forage for water. But they didn't. It was always there, always around them, always there for the taking."_

"_But the prophecy. When it's fulfilled, we'll have that again, right?"_

_Bada rolled her eyes. "The prophecy will never come true. Earth reunited? It's never going to happen, Alice. Seas, oceans, lakes? We can only dream about those. Best to keep our heads in the real world and leave thoughts of endless amounts of water for talks in the library." She smiled and stood up, hefting her bag over her shoulder and smiling at Alice. "Don't be late for your next class, alright?"_

* * *

Alice smiled at the memory from her school days as she turned on her side and pulled the blankets up to her neck. It felt like it had been so much longer than just four years since that conversation had taken place, and remembering it made her nostalgic for the days when she could just sit and talk to her friends like that. Even though she was against everything the Sphere stood for, she really missed the days when she was at the school. Perhaps things would be better once all their plans went through. She would just have to wait and see.

"Soon," she said to herself. "I just have to be patient."


	3. Chapter 2

It was getting late and, as much as Mahad hated to admit it, he was getting tired. He rubbed the back of his hand against itchy eyes as he stifled a yawn. Party or no, he needed to get some sleep. "Lena," he called sleepily around the pavilion, but didn't see her anywhere. There was Cheng, asleep on the bench; Wayan sat in a chair with his arms crossed and his head down, obviously asleep. The party had thinned considerably, though there were several people who hadn't made it to their homes and lay with their heads on the tables or leaning against their neighbors. But nowhere could he find Lena.

"She went back home a couple hours ago to go to bed," a familiar voice said from behind Mahad, and he turned to see Dahlia once again standing behind him, several paces away with her arms crossed. "She tried to find you, but you'd managed to get yourself lost in the crowd."

"Ah, well, a party in my honor – who am I to not join in the fun?" He attempted to grin in a nonchalant kind of way, but all that came out was a yawn.

She smiled. "Which is why she told me to tell you instead." She took a tentative step closer to Mahad, not looking directly at him. "Good party, don't you think? We should try to have a few more once in a while." Her arms uncrossed, one falling to her side while the other clasped the hem of her shirt in a tight fist. "It lets everyone loosen up a bit, let out a bit of built-up tension."

Mahad eyed her suspiciously. It might have just been him, but if he wasn't mistaken, Dahlia was acting…_nervous_. Which wasn't something he'd seen very often in her. "Are you okay?"

"Look, it's your birthday, and…and I didn't get you anything."

He stared at her for a long moment before breaking out in laughter. "That's it? You're upset because you didn't get me anything? Don't worry, Dahlia," he said, patting her lightly on the shoulder, "I don't need anything."

A small smirk took over the nervous quiver of her lip. "Well, you're getting something anyway." Before Mahad could even so much as blink, Dahlia had gripped the collar of his shirt and pulled herself up to his level, pressing her lips against his in the briefest of kisses. "Happy eighteenth, Mahad," she said as she started walking away, leaving a stunned Mahad behind.

"Hey, wait!" he called after her retreating figure once he'd managed to get his senses back, "does this mean we're dating now?"

She laughed and waved over her shoulder. "Don't read too much into it. It was a birthday present."

A birthday present. Well, that was okay by him. "_Don't read too much into it_," he repeated as he absentmindedly ran a finger over his bottom lip. "Yeah, okay." His face broke out into a huge grin as he practically skipped back home. He wished tomorrow was his birthday, too.

* * *

Puerto Angel shook down to its very foundations as a giant sphere ship docked at the edge the block. It was a brief tremor, but loud and strong enough that it would obviously wake everyone who wasn't dead. Loud entrance, surprises around each corner, ensuing chaos - everything was going according to plan.

* * *

Mahad's eyes snapped open, his mind barely registering the numbers of the clock that read 3:30. He'd only gone to bed three hours ago, so his body protested against his actions of getting out of bed, but he needed to know what that crash was. He'd heard of Earthquakes from the stories told by people in the pub, but those didn't happen anymore. Nothing could shake an entire block like this, and a glance out his window told him nothing good. It was too dark to tell, but it looked as though a black and green-clad young woman left nothing but destruction in her wake throughout the pavilion below him, where his party had been taking place just hours before.

His mind raced. Was she part of the Sphere? She sure looked the part, but how did she find them here? And why? The sphere hadn't come after them in so long he'd almost forgotten what it was like, but he didn't have time to ponder such trivial things now. He needed to make sure his sister was alright. If the sphere was involved, it was probably them they were after.

"Lena!" he shouted, running from his room and pulling a shirt on over his head. "Lena, get up!" He ran into her room to see her rubbing sleepily at her eyes.

"What is it, Mahad? It's the middle of the night."

"Get up, you have to hide."

Lena stared uncomprehendingly at him. "It's 3:30 in the morning."

"And you have to hide. Come on." He tried to be patient with her, but his nerves were on end. The safety of his little sister came first and foremost to him, and he wanted to know she was hidden and safe before trying to figure out what was going on.

"What's going on?" she asked, blinking rapidly to clear the sleep from her eyes and tugging the drawstring on her white pajama pants tighter.

"I don't know yet, but I need you to hide, go somewhere safe. Take the path in the cellar and hide until I come get you, okay?" He nudged her lower back incessantly to get her to hurry despite her protestations that she could walk on her own, thanks.

"Is it the Sphere?"

"Maybe, now go-"

"I want to help. I'm going to help you." She pressed her feet into the floor and pushed back against his hands. "I can help more than you can."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, now get down there and I'll come get you when-"

"I want to go with you!"

"Not a chance! I will not risk your safety! Now go hide!"

"Lena," a firm voice said from the stairs, and they saw their mother rushing to Mahad's side, "Mahad is right. If it _is_ the Sphere, they probably want you. Now, do as your brother asks."

Lena puffed her cheeks angrily and pouted her lower lip. "Fine, but I don't like this."

"I know," she said with as much consolation as she could. "But it won't be long." They watched long enough to know she was concealed in the cellar before Mahad grabbed his boomerang and ran to the front door just behind their mother. Cautiously she opened the door and peered out. He could hear a voice echoing just around the corner, and he inched closer, looking over his mom's shoulder to be able to hear better.

"-and I know she's here somewhere! I suggest you hand her over unless you don't want to see this boy again!"

Mahad ducked under his mothers arm and crept to the edge of the building, sneaking a glance around the corner to see what she Sphere woman was talking about. He saw a ring of Brigs surrounded the edge of the open area and guarded the doors to houses, their gun-arms raised and ready to shoot. There were at least two dozen of them, an awful lot for a rogue Guardian, or so Mahad thought. As for the woman, her back was to him, but he could see a second pair of legs with hers, and her hand glowed menacingly with power. He wondered who it was she was holding hostage, but it honestly didn't matter to him. Everyone here was his family, and he wouldn't stand for anything happening to any of them. Thoughts raced a thousand miles a second in his brain as he tried to come up with a plan. Whoever she was, she wasn't very smart leaving her back completely exposed like this. He could easily throw his boomerang at her and she'd never even know what happened.

"How can she be using her powers?" his mom's soft voice whispered behind him.

A smirk lifted his lips as he stepped out of the shadow and readied his boomerang. "Doesn't matter now." Several other people were peeking out windows or scrambling out of the way when they realized the newcomer wasn't a left over from the party, but it wouldn't be too difficult to avoid them. "No one tries to use my friends as a bargaining tool for my sister," he said between gritted teeth. "Not even the Sphere." He closed one eye to sight her properly, pulled his hand back, and was ready to let his boomerang fly through the air, when she spoke again.

"I demand the Guardian Alice! I know she's here, and I won't leave without her!"

Alice? Mahad's brain stalled for long seconds. Why would they think she was here? She still worked for the Sphere on the other side of Skyland, not hiding out on Puerto Angel. Maybe it was a trick! That had to be it! A trick to make them _think_ they were looking for Alice when they were still actually looking for Lena! Well, it wouldn't work.

"I'm telling you," she shouted angrily, raising her hand and firing a bolt of energy into one of the houses, immediately setting it aflame, "to give me the Guardian! I will not tolerate insolence!" She turned and held her hand threateningly towards another house, arm glowing brightly as her energy gathered again. In the light, Mahad could see that Cheng was the one held in her arm. He struggled against her grip, but it never slackened.

"She's not here," a Scottish accented voice, obviously Cortes, came from behind the girl. A laser pistol was held in his right hand and poised to shoot her heart in a moment's notice. "We haven't even heard the name Alice in months."

She whipped around to see the first person who dared to show their face. "Liar. You're nothing but a liar. Hand her over now, and you can have the boy back!"

Cortes shook his long auburn ponytail off his shoulder, scoffing slightly. "I'm not lying. We're not harboring anyone from the Sphere, especially not a Guardian."

"Liar!"

"You're free to look around if you like, but you'll not find her here."

A tense silence settled over them, the woman's face twisting in anger. A snarl escaped her throat. "You're a filthy liar! I can sense her here!" She spat on the ground and concentrated, her arm glowing blue once again.

Mahad couldn't sit back and wait any longer. With a small grunt, he threw his boomerang at her hand that was outstretched in front of her, not aiming to maim, just to injure. The thin weapon sailed through the air with only a soft whisper of sound, hitting his target perfectly. The boomerang collided with her wrist with a loud metallic ringing, and as she yelled in surprise and the weapon came flying back to his hand, he realized he'd hit a bracelet she was wearing. It was now hanging loosely from her hand, ready to fall with the slightest provocation.

"What was that?!" the woman screamed, looking desperately over her shoulder. The power flow to her hand reduced considerably in her loss of concentration, and Mahad wasn't the only one that took advantage of the momentary distraction. Just as he loosed his boomerang for a second time, Cortes ran at her, knocking her backwards several steps and grabbing Cheng from her arms. Her bracelet clattered to the ground with an audible clinking sound.

"No!" she yelled, not knowing whether to go after her hostage or her lost jewelry. Mahad supposed it was a family heirloom of some kind to mean that much to her. "Brigs, get them! Kill them all! No one disobeys my orders!" She fell to the ground and held her injured wrist in her hand, still looking around the ground for the bracelet.

Mahad's heart nearly stopped when he heard her words. Cortes and Cheng were still in the middle of the plaza, Cortes doing his best to shield the young boy from possible harm with his body, but it was no use; several Brigs had pointed their guns at whatever civilians they could find, some pointed at houses, but most of them were aimed at the captain of the St. Nazaire and the child behind his back. He felt his mother's hand in his, felt her desperation, the need to do something but knowing there was nothing either of them could do. Any other time, Mahad was quick to pull his weapon out and strike at a line of brigs, but it was too late, there were too many. There was no way he could do it.

"Cortes," he whispered, wondering if he was about to witness the death of two of his closest family members, lifting his boomerang in one last futile attempt to save them. It was all he could think to do. He squeezed his mother's hand tighter.

"She's not here!" another voice called from the doorway to one of the houses, loud, deep, and commanding, and it seemingly caught the girl's attention. She looked up sharply and called for the Brigs to stand down.

"C-c…"

A blonde man stepped into the open and walked straight to her. Darius. "She's not here."

"C-com…" She stared at him as though in a trance, as though he was all she could see.

"She's not here. Now take your men and go home.' He stood with hands on hips and glared down at her. "You're disturbing the peace."

She looked up at him with wide eyes, and Mahad was only given a brief moment to wonder if they knew each other before she got suddenly angry. "You're not him." She stood up and stared hard at him. "I don't take orders from you! I take orders from him, not you! How dare you try to-"

"I _said_," he shouted, raising his voice threateningly and grabbing her arm, "she's not here! You take your Brigs home and stop disturbing us!" They stared in each others eyes as though daring the other to speak, to say anything against them. She looked as though she were about to say something when he cut her off. "_Now!_"

The Sphere woman looked startled and blinked several times, looking at him as though something had just clicked in her head. Abruptly, she saluted him. "Sir." With a sharp flick of her not-injured wrist, she motioned for the Brigs to get back on the ship, following minutes later once the pavilion was empty. "Sir."

* * *

"See? It wasn't even me they were after!" Lena complained, swinging her feet under the long desk she sat on. "I could have helped you out!"

"Not even mom could help, what makes you think you could?" Mahad retorted, hitting her foot with his hand. He grinned when she just puffed her cheeks in irritation.

"Oh, but _you_ helped, right?" she asked sarcastically, kicking his hand.

"Damn right I did!" He rested his elbows behind him on the desk, hands hanging off the edge. "I was a ton of help last night. You should've seen-"

"What I'd _like_ to see, Mahad," Cortes' voice said from the stairs, "is you _helping_ to rebuild the houses that were destroyed instead of disrupting the Vector from his work." A stern glare was turned his way, but Mahad just rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on! It's my birthday, don't I deserve a break?"

"Your birthday was yesterday, if I remember correctly, and you spent the entire day 'taking a break.' Now, I'd suggest you get in some old clothes and get started helping those men down there."

"Ah, man!" He knew there was no arguing with Cortes, so with an overly dramatic sigh, he got up and set off for his room. If he walked slow enough, maybe he could shave a few hours off his workload.

"It's okay to go easy on him every now and then," Vector said from his seat on the other side of the room once the boy had left. One eye appeared enlarged because of the magnifying glass positioned under it, and his hands held a small, inconspicuous silver bracelet.

"He's never going to learn any of that responsibility he claims to have if he doesn't earn it. Now tell me, what's going on with that?" He gestured to the silver band in his hand.

"A bracelet."

It was Cortes' turn to roll his eyes. "I'm not blind. What's so special about it? Why was she so concerned over it?"

He shook his white head. "Nothing. As far as I can tell, it's just a bracelet. A nondescript, silver bracelet." He shrugged, turning it over in his withered hand. "I'm inclined to follow Mahad's thinking that it's just an heirloom."

"Heirlooms in the Sphere?" he scoffed. "They don't have family to have heirlooms. But, if that's what you say, I'll have to believe you." He walked to the top of the stairs and motioned for Lena to follow him. "Come on, best to leave wise men to their work. We can go help Mahad."

"Aw, man!" she said, sounding considerably like her brother. She jumped off the table and followed him downstairs. "I thought only Mahad needed to learn responsibility."

Cortes stifled a small laugh, his shoulders shaking ever so slightly. "He is. You already know more about it than he could hope for."

* * *

"She's what?"

"Mentally unstable, sir. Based on her actions and words, and the fact that she believed Darius to be you…" The white-coated man lifted the top paper in the small stack on his clipboard, eyes scanning the lines of words scribbled on it. "She is unpredictable at best, is composed next to none of the time, and-"

"Mentally unstable."

"Yes, sir."

"Believed that Darius' words were mine."

"Based on the account of the event she gave the doctors, yes."

Oslo stared through the glass at the girl who had been sent to find Alice, watching her pace the room in a white gown that nearly matched her skin. He couldn't hear anything, but by the way her mouth was moving and she was gesturing in the air, it looked as though she were explaining something to herself. Or the wall.

"Should we release her?"

Her eyes darted to the window that Oslo looked through, catching his gaze. She smiled at him, then snapped a perfect salute.

"No," he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Kill her."


	4. Chapter 3

"Has she awoken yet?"

There was that voice again! She strained to be able to hear better, to push aside that awful buzzing in her brain and focus on that familiar voice. She waited for it to speak again, waited to feel that surge of hope fill her again. Surely if she could hear the voice enough, if it spoke loud enough for her to hear it properly, she would have the strength to wake up and not have to endure this endless pain any longer.

"O-off and on, s-sir, but n-not for long periods of time."

No, that wasn't it. The loud thrumming in her head got louder, a metallic whirring sound, and she wished it would quiet down. She needed that voice! It would help her wake up again! Now, where was it?

"You remember the deadline I gave you?"

There! Yes, that was it!

"Y-yes, of course, sir."

"I expect it-"

The whirring sound got louder, too loud for her to hear anything over it, and there was a sudden flash of extreme pain radiating from her arm, shooting across her back, up her neck, straight into her brain. She wanted to scream with how horrific it was, wanted to lash out and make whatever was causing her to hurt stop. She felt those tears again, those tears that crept out her closed eyes and burned their way down her face, and she wished it would all just stop. Where was the voice? Where was that anchor that would bring her back? She wanted – no, she _needed_ it back.

The sound stopped and, the pain dulled considerably, but the tears still came. This time, though, they weren't for the physical pain she felt, and when she fell back into unconsciousness, it was that voice she heard.

---------------

"Alice. Why would they think Alice was here?" Cortes held his chin thoughtfully between thumb and forefinger, brows furrowed in thought. "Wasn't she sent to the other side of Skyland for some reason?"

"Yeah, I thought so. I mean, that's where she's been sending her messages from, right?" Lena asked, glancing over at the group of people surrounding Vector's laptop on the desk. Cheng sat in the chair, typing away a message to send to Alice with Vector standing beside him and reading over his shoulder; Mahad stood behind the chair, leaning one arm on it and offering suggestions; Cortes tapped his fingers on the edge of the desk inches from the laptop, while Dahlia leaned against the wall behind the desk, arms crossed.

"Is there any way she could have scrambled her signal?" he asked to no one in particular. "Maybe she changed locations and didn't tell us. Or the Sphere."

"What if she's sending messages to the Sphere and masking the signal so it looks like it's coming from here?" Dahlia suggested with a quick look at Cortes.

"No way!" Lena exclaimed, jumping up from her seat on the floor. "She's not a traitor, she wouldn't sell us out like that!"

"No one said anything about a traitor," Cortes cut in, trying to sound consoling but coming off as more irritated. "But we have to think of all the possibilities. And if there is a possibility that Alice is sending our coordinates to the Sphere, we need to consider it."

"The message is almost ready to send," Cheng said, interrupting whatever argument might have taken place. "Anything else we need to add?" He looked around at everyone in turn, each of them shaking their heads. "Then that's it. All we can do now is wait for her to answer."

"Until then-"

"Captain!" Wayan's voice sounded in the room, radiating from the walkie-talkie on Cortes' belt. "A water carrier is passing just outside the perimeter sensors of Puerto Angel."

The captain pulled it off his belt and held it to his mouth. "Unguarded?"

"With the state our water supply is soon going to be in, does it really matter?"

He scoffed disbelievingly into the speaker. "You're right. We'll be right there." An audible click followed his words and he replaced the walkie-talkie, turning to look at everyone in the room. "Dahlia, go meet Wayan in the ship." He waited until Dahlia had nodded and left the room before continuing. "Mahad, Lena, we'll need as much back-up as possible. We need to be prepared for anything that might meet us on that ship. Cheng." He motioned for the boy to follow him.

Lena tried to conceal her excitement as she walked with the rest of the group out of the small house they'd crammed themselves in and towards the docking bay where the St. Nazaire waited. Ever since her battle with Oslo so many months ago, things had quieted down with the resistance. Water-retrieving missions were scarce since carriers were almost never seen anymore – no one could figure out how they were transporting the water, just that it kept getting from one place to the next with almost no carriers they could find – and Cortes and the rest of the resistance leaders wanted to try to organize a plan with what Guardians were on their side before trying to bring the Sphere down completely. It had been a long, long time since she'd been out for more than just a pleasure ride. Somewhere deep inside, she kind of wished there would be something to destroy on the ship just so she would have a chance to _really_ use her powers again.

To her left, she heard Mahad muttering something along the same lines. She smiled to herself – she and her brother really were a lot alike at times. She reached over and nudged him in the arm, smiling happily to show how excited she was. He grinned back, silently pulling out his boomerang and pretending to throw it as though he were engaged in an intense battle. Lena covered her mouth and stifled her laughter so they wouldn't draw attention to themselves.

"Mahad, Lena, where are you going?"

Both of them turned at the familiar sound of their mother's voice, each ready to explain what was happening, where they were going, and what adventures they hoped to _finally_ be going on again, but neither of them managed a word before Cortes started answering for them.

"There's a water carrier just outside the perimeter. If we can get to it quickly-"

"And judging by my children going with you, it's not exactly going to be a smooth ride, am I right?" She put her hands on her hips, and Lena was afraid her mother was going to turn the glare on them. Again, she was ready to jump in and say something, but the glare was never turned her way. It remained fixed on the auburn-haired captain leading them.

"We don't know yet, they're coming along just in case." It was possible he was trying to sound comforting, but his voice had the same tone he had taken with Lena earlier – irritated.

"And you think it's okay to just take my children with you without asking me?"

"Mila, your children are-"

"They are exactly that – _my children_, and I would very much like if I was informed when they were going to be running around on dangerous-"

"_Potentially_ dangerous, Mila, and your children have proven themselves in much more difficult situations in the past! You shouldn't doubt them."

"I don't doubt them, _captain_, I know what they're capable of! But as their mother, I should be-"

"Mila, we don't have the time for this. We'll talk when we get back." Without another word, he turned his back on her and continued walking towards the docking bay, motioning for Mahad, Lena, and Cheng to keep following. Lena pointedly avoided her mother's gaze, doing her best to hide behind Mahad as they passed by her. She thought she heard her brother say something like, "_Sorry, mom_," but it was so low, she couldn't be sure.

They all relaxed once they were out of her sight, Cortes sighing and running one hand over his face, while Mahad, Lena, and Cheng raced each other to the ship. "I was so afraid mom was going to be mad at us," Lena said, hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath just inside the hatch.

"No way," Mahad replied, equally out of breath. "Besides, you know mom would never pass up a chance to try to show up Cortes."

"And if I didn't always find a way to leave halfway through," Cortes said as he boarded the ship after them, his voice still noticeably irate, "your mother would probably win every time. Now come on, we don't have any more time to mess around. Wayan, Dahlia, get us going!"

Lena heard two voices call, "Captain," from the front of the ship, and moments later the ship lurched into motion, nearly knocking her knees out from under her. "Mom really knows how to make him mad, huh?" she asked, following her brother to the back, past Cheng's spot at the navigation screen, until they reached the windows.

"Ah, he's just not used to having a woman around who takes charge. It's been just him for so long, he probably feels threatened." He nodded knowingly, stuffing one hand in his pocket.

"Mahad…if…" She didn't directly meet her brother's gaze, choosing instead to look out the window and pick at her fingernails. "If the Sphere already knows where we are, why would it matter so much if Alice is masking her signal to make it look like it's coming from Puerto Angel? I mean, they've known for a while where we are, but they don't bother us. Or…they didn't."

"I don't think it's that the Sphere will find out where we are, so much as it looks like we're hiding their people from them. If Alice is really sending signals to make it look like she's with us, it probably looks like we kidnapped her or something." He put his hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "Don't worry, little sister. We'll figure everything out."

"Okay. I just…I just don't want to believe that Alice would have been lying to us all this time. I…we trusted her." She bit her lower lip, trying not to think about the possible consequences of allowing Alice to live. She knew she always trusted people too easily and that it might eventually get them into trouble, but she had been so sure that Alice was on their side. It hurt to think that she might have been wrong in her judgment.

"Don't worry. Your instincts have never been wrong before. If you say she's on our side, then I believe you." He squeezed her shoulder lightly before letting his hand fall to his side.

They both fell silent, and Lena allowed her attention to wander, idly watching the clouds rush past the windows. It had been a long time since she'd felt this nervous about the Sphere, but not because of the reasons everyone else thought. Of course she was afraid the rebel base would be found and they would all be hauled to prison, but she had also never told anyone what she'd done – or hadn't done, as it were – and she was terrified what everyone would think of her if they found out. No, _when_ they found out. For a while there, with the sudden decrease in water carriers and patrol ships, she kidded herself that the Sphere had given up looking for her and her mother. She allowed herself to believe they were safe. But now…

She sighed softly and placed one hand on the glass. She knew it was wrong not to tell them, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. She didn't know if she'd be able to handle the looks on their faces. Of course, she didn't know if she'd be able to handle it if they found out on their own. Surely it would be better to find out from her rather than by word-of-mouth, right?

Another sigh. Thought trains like these had a tendency of getting her depressed, and she didn't like it. She also hated that her brother and mom had noticed her sudden bouts of depression. It wasn't that she didn't like their attention or that she wanted to shut them out from her emotions, but she didn't like making them worry, and when she would close herself up in her room for days at a time, ignoring their knocking and calling and questions of what was wrong, she knew that's all she was doing was making them worry. If only she could fess up…if only she could tell them…

Hot tears burned behind her eyelids as they often did when she started thinking like this, but she did her best to blink them away. This was no time to let her emotions get her down – she hadn't been able to go out on a mission like this in so long! She was excited for the possibilities of huge battles and dozens of brigs to fight off, not depressed! At least, she hoped there was a huge fight, if for no other reason than to get everything off her chest – her anger at herself, her depression, her irritation. Maybe a good fight, a chance to use her powers, to destroy something, would help her feel relieved, relaxed, not so stressed. She took in a long breath and slowly let it out, forcing her lips to turn up into a smile. There, better already.

She turned to look at Mahad, about to say something to him, when she saw him looking at her with an expression that almost seemed sad. "Lena," he said quietly, looking to the side then down, "is…is everything alr-"

"Mahad, Lena, we're almost there." Cortes' voice drifted back to them, and with barely a glance to her brother, she left his side, almost forgetting to be excited. That look he had broke her heart more than she thought it could. The concern written across his features, only there because of her, made her heart ache. "Can you sense anything, Lena? Can you tell if there's anything or anyone on board that might be threatening?"

_I kind of hope so_, she thought, but didn't voice it aloud. She knew Cortes was looking to get in and out with as little trouble as possible, especially with her mom to deal with when they got back – he wouldn't want to hear her _hoping_ for some kind of fight. "Let me see." She looked straight ahead, out the front windows of the ship, and closed her eyes, focusing her energy, reaching out with all her senses, past Cortes, past Dahlia and Wayan, beyond the walls of the St. Nazaire, into the water carrier, searching for some kind of presence. It didn't take a lot of searching, though – a powerful presence was on board the ship, and pinpointing the location was beyond easy. Before she pulled back, though, she continued focusing on the presence. It was strong, but whatever it was, it would be easy to defeat. She'd definitely faced harder before.

"Lena?"

Her eyes opened sharply, drawing completely back into her body. "Oh! Um. I…I could sense _something_, but I couldn't really tell what it was." She shrugged apologetically and tried not to think too much about how guilty not telling the whole truth made her feel. It was another of those character flaws she'd recently taken to acquiring that she was ashamed of.

"Well," Cortes sighed, gripping the wheel tighter, "it's not like we really have much of a choice. Wayan, stay here and watch the ship. Dahlia, Mahad, Lena, go get the mosquitoes prepared. I'll meet you down there."

Lena thought she heard him mutter something along the lines of wishing he'd brought more people to help, but she was ushered along by Dahlia down to the lower hatch with Mahad. They readied three of the small ships – Lena still wasn't allowed to pilot her own and had to ride with her brother – and waited for the captain to join them, which didn't take long. It was mere moments after they'd gotten settled in that he came down the stairs, mumbling irately to himself.

"Alright, let's just go and get this done as quick as possible. Ah, this was so much easier when you two could do things on your own." He shook his head and closed the top of his mosquito before either of them could say anything in their mother's defense, though it was possible they might not have. They loved their mother with every ounce of their beings, but they could also remember what it was like when they could do pretty much whatever they wanted. They would never want things to be the way they were, but that didn't stop them from remembering the freedom they'd had.


	5. Chapter 4

Sorry it's been so long since I last updated! But here you go, after a loooooong hiatus.

* * *

"Spread out and keep a very sharp eye out for anything. If we can get in-"

"We _know_, captain," Dahlia cut in, rolling her eyes. "Get in and get out with as little trouble as possible. Checked _that_ box twelve times already." She pulled her bow off its holster above her back pocket and ignited it, holding it by her side.

"Okay, then, you know what to do, so do it. I'll get the St. Nazaire ready for the water transfer." The irate tone returned, and Lena wondered if it really was only because of their mother that he was so annoyed all the time now.

A quick glare at each of them from the captain cut her thoughts short and spurred her into motion. Dahlia and Mahad began walking to the other side of the room, not paying particular attention to the surroundings – she was sure she heard Mahad say something about a kiss – and Cortes had already begun the process of getting the St. Nazaire ready for the transfer. None of them paid any attention to her, which might have annoyed her if she didn't have other things to think about. Like, what exactly it was that was giving off such a powerful aura, and where she could find it. Once again she closed her eyes, focusing all her energy on finding it. "There," she whispered, smiling. Of course being closer to it would help her find it easier. Without a second thought, she set off towards the door that would lead to the heart of the ship, not saying anything to her brother, the captain, or Dahlia. This fight was for her, not them.

The door slid open with the barest of whispers and she stepped as quietly as she could into the adjoining hall, not hesitating even a second before running down the hallway where she knew she would find stairs. Lights flickered on as she ran past, feeble yet more than enough to show the way, to show that, up ahead, there were the stairs she'd been expecting. With a satisfied smile, she took them two at a time, not slowing until she reached the top where another door greeted her. The aura she'd been sensing was on the other side of this door. She could feel it pulsing against her skin as though it were tangible, as though she could touch it, wrap her hand around it, hold the undulating power between her fingers. A small step forward, and the door opened for her, allowing her into the main chamber of the ship.

"I know you're in here," she said quietly, more to herself than to whoever was in there with her She took another tentative step into the room, hardly flinching when the door shut behind her, cutting out the faint light from the hallway and leaving her in darkness. She almost wondered why the lights didn't come on, didn't follow her in the room, but realized, when she felt another small surge of energy, that whoever was in the room with her was using their power to keep the lights off. Trying to take her by surprise? Probably. She wouldn't fall for it. As subtly as possible, exerting no more energy than necessary, she lifted herself a mere inch off the floor, moving completely silently into the room.

_But where are they?_ As confident as she was she could find them without using her eyes, something about engaging someone in a fight without being able to see anything at all. _Someone could get seriously hurt_. But a thought from the back of her mind caused her lips to turn up in a smile. A challenge.

_If that's what they want, then that's what they'll get._ She set her feet back on the floor and used her senses to reach out, probing every corner, looking, searching, hunting. But there was nothing. No, not nothing. Everything. Try as she might, she couldn't pinpoint the source at all. It was as though they were everywhere at once, their aura of power spread evenly throughout the room like a blanket, covering every surface. _No, it has to be here. Look harder._ Surely just a little bit more and she could find it, the point where all the energy radiated from. Surely-

"Looking for me?"

Lena gasped sharply as soft breath flowed over her ear, warm despite the cold tone the words held. She spun on her heel, hair whipping into her face, hands already glowing softly with angry energy, trying to grab whoever it was behind her. Fingers clutched at thin air. "Where are you?" She felt herself growing angry that she'd been found. Again she used her power to search the room, but still couldn't pinpoint one location.

"Silly little girl."

Again she whirled around, but just as she did, the lights in the room flashed into life, bright – excruciatingly bright. She cried out and covered her face with her hands, blocking out the sudden assault on her eyes. Light seeped between her fingers, penetrating her eyelids. Too bright. What was this light that was so horrifically bright?

"What do you think you're doing here?"

She scrunched her eyelids tighter, not allowing the tears welling in her eyes to fall.

"Oh, come on, little girl, stop being dramatic." The voice sighed irritably, vaguely reminding Lena of Cortes. "Fine, if that's how you want it."

The lights lowered considerably until it was comfortably dim. She opened her eyes and blinked several times behind her hands before taking them from her face. "Was that really necessary?" she asked angrily, glaring at the other. It was a man, much taller than she was, with blonde hair cropped close to his head, and piercing blue eyes, and judging by the clothes he was wearing, he belonged to the Sphere.

"I asked you a question first: what are you doing here?"

"Why should I tell you?"

The man smiled patiently at her, the same way someone would smile if they were dealing with a child, and held his hand in front of him. He was still for several moments, then he slowly started lifting his hand towards the ceiling. As he did, the lights steadily got brighter. "Because I know how to make a poor, unprotected Seijin's eyes burn out of her skull if she doesn't answer me."

She squinted in preparation to shut them completely, but the room remained tolerable. "What do you mean, unprotected?"

"Poor little Seijin girl doesn't know when to just cooperate, does she? I said, I asked you a question. Now, answer me. What are you doing here?" His tone was cold, tense, sharp, unforgiving. She knew she had to say something to keep him stalled. She wondered if Cortes had gotten the St. Nazaire connected yet. Or when they'd come looking for her.

"I…" She grabbed the first excuse she could think of from her mind. "Any ship of the Sphere is an enemy of mine. I'm here to destroy the ship, and you!"

The blonde man stared at her for a long moment, the corners of his mouth twitching as though amused, then started laughing. Whatever she had been expecting, this wasn't it. "Silly little Seijin girl thinks she can destroy my ship?" He stepped close to her, leaning over until his face was mere inches from hers. The smile was still on his face, but when he spoke, it was like a snarl. "You should think your lies through a little better before using them."

"Wh-what do you mean?" She tried not to flinch from how near he was and how discomforting his intense gaze was.

"I mean that you are a terrible liar. If you were going to destroy my ship, why board it? Why not destroy it from your ship?" He lifted his eyebrows in question, smirking when Lena didn't answer. He stood back to his full height, staring down his nose at her. "And if you destroy my ship while you're on it – why, you'll die, too. And aren't you a little young to have a death wish?" He put one finger to his lips, eyes widening as though he'd just thought of something. "And speaking of your age, where's you mommy? Did she drop you off here while you tried to destroy me and she'll pick you up after her hair appointment?"

"Shut up!" A strong burst of energy Lena didn't even know she caused hit the man in the chest, throwing him across the room and against the opposite wall. "I'm not a child!"

Laughter echoed throughout the room again as the man stood up and brushed the wrinkles out of his tunic. "Little Seijin girl-"

"I'm not a little girl!" She hit him again, consciously this time.

"How old are you? Ten? Eleven?"

"Stop it!" Again and again she threw energy at him, not even knowing why she was letting him get to her like this. "I'm not a little girl!"

"Then why the tantrum?"

His voice was once again behind her, speaking right into her ear, and she screamed as she turned to face him. How had he gotten behind her? How had he avoided her? He should be smashed against the wall, not smirking down at her like this. She tried to push him away, but he grabbed her outstretched arms easily and threw her to the side. A loud thud echoed off the walls as her head smacked against the floor. Blackness once again clouded her vision, but this time it wasn't because the lights were off. They were still very much on.

She tried to sit up, to focus her anger into energy, to focus all of it on this man, but her head screamed in pain, and she fell back to the ground, groaning in pain.

"Now tell me, little Seijin girl, what are you doing here?"

She couldn't answer amidst the throbbing pain. All that came out was a small whimper.

"I'm waiting."

His foot tapped the floor repeatedly by her head, beating in opposition to the pounding in her brain. On the plus side, her vision was beginning to clear. If she could just stall a moment longer, she might be able to form a plan to at least get away, if not attempt to injure him. She opened her mouth to answer, taking a deep breath, but was never given the chance to say anything. A heavy booted foot pressed itself on her chest, constricting her breathing even more.

"You truly are a very uncooperative little girl."

"I'm not…" She coughed when he pressed down harder.

"A little girl, I know. Thank God, or I might feel bad about killing you."

The lights started getting brighter, brighter, penetrating through the thinning darkness in her eyes, and she squeezed her eyelids shut. _No, not again!_ She could hear a faint crackling sound, the familiar crackling that accompanied the gathering of large amounts of energy. She cracked her eyes open, thankful the lights weren't bright enough to hurt, and saw his hand glowing. At this range, a hit like that would kill her. Obliterate her. There were the tears again, coursing down her cheeks with the realization that, in her need to be in a real fight again, to risk her life again, to feel useful again, she was going to die.

_I should have stayed with Mahad_, she thought bleakly, coughing, gasping for air. _I should have stayed on Puerto Angel with mom_. She gave up fighting, waiting for the end. She wished she could have said goodbye to Mahad, or at least tell him that she loved him. And her mother, too. There were those tears, harder now.

She tried to whisper a goodbye that she knew no one would hear, but couldn't.

"Hey!" a voice that sounded incredibly like Mahad's called throughout the room, and for a moment Lena thought she was hearing things, but then she heard the soft whistle that could only mean an infamous boomerang was flying through the air. "How about you leave my sister alone, huh? Haven't you ever heard not to pick on little girls?"

She couldn't have been happier to hear her brother's voice – she was so happy, in fact, she decided to overlook that he called her a 'little girl.'

"Ah, some friends! Did you hear that, little Seijin girl, your friends are here. Unfortunately, they won't be able to do anything to save you."

Lena blinked rapidly, doing her best to clear her vision. She couldn't lift her head enough to see anything but the man standing over her, but she'd watched Dahlia fight enough to know that she could do something. Not much, but at least something to get away.

Gathering as much strength as she could muster, she grabbed the man's ankle and twisted it while pulling it out from under him. The sudden rush of air as his foot left her chest came as a huge wave of relief, and she gasped, choking and coughing, rolling onto her side and clutching her stomach as she tried to steady her breathing back to normal. Behind her, she heard an angry growl of frustration and a hand clawing at her shoe. On instinct, she kicked the hand and crawled towards the wall, not looking back until she was a safe distance away, still breathing heavily.

"Get over here, Lena!" Mahad's voice called, and Lena turned her head quickly, ignoring the pounding in her temples, to see her brother motioning for her to hurry. Dahlia knelt on one knee, bow drawn with an arrow ready to fly at a moments notice, and Lena knew she was waiting for her to be out of the way before firing. She scrambled out of the way, feet nearly slipping out from under her as she ran to her brother's side. "Are you alright?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her waist to help steady her.

"I'm fine," she replied, watching as Dahlia fired an arrow towards the Guardian. "Come on, we gotta go. Quick!" She pulled her body in the direction of the door, trying to get Mahad and Dahlia to go with her, but neither of them moved. "Come on!" She turned to look at what was catching their attention, and saw the man stand up, Dahlia's arrow being absorbed into his hand.

"He caught it," Dahlia whispered, though whether in awe or horror, Lena wasn't sure.

The man started to laugh again, that horrible laugh that sent shivers down her spine, and she knew they needed to get out of there, and quickly. "Run," she said quietly, pushing Mahad away. "I'll follow in a moment. You and Dahlia run."

"We're not leaving you."

"Go, Mahad. I'll do what I can, then follow.

"Lena-"

"_Go_, Mahad!" She pushed completely away from her brother's grasp and stood as best as she could on her own. Her chest hurt, breathing was difficult, her pulse throbbed maddeningly against her brain, and she thought her vision was starting to get blurry again, but she knew she had to do something to stop this man from killing them all. She waited until they ran past her but didn't look to see if they'd gone before lifting her hands, gathering power in her hands. _No time to mess around. Gotta play dirty_. She fired at him, over and over, keeping a focused eye on him in case he tried to get behind her again.

"Little girl doesn't seem to be learning," his voice called from somewhere in front of her. "You can't beat me." She stopped attacking and saw him walking towards her, hand outstretched, absorbing everything she threw at him. He waved his hand in the air in a mocking gesture – _bring it on_. A flash of metal caught her attention, and she realized he was wearing a ring on his forefinger. "Would you like to try running? I can go ahead and give you and your friends a head start."

"My – what?" She looked behind her and saw Mahad and Dahlia behind her, poised with their weapons. "What're you-"

"You _honestly_ thought we'd leave you?" Dahlia scoffed, pulling another arrow from her bow and firing.

"Get real, little sister." Her brother grinned and readied his boomerang, pulling it back and swinging it hard.

"Better get started, little girl!" the blond man said as he ducked the boomerang and laughed again. "Three." His hand started glowing again, casting strange shadows across his face. "Two."

"Lena, let's go!"

She felt a strong hand grab her arm from behind. Mahad was still in front of her, though, still waiting for his boomerang to come back. He'd never leave it behind. But there was the man, getting ready to attack, and they hadn't even moved.

"One."

The room filled with the sizzle of power, and she knew her brother was going to get hurt. With a loud cry, she pulled free of Dahlia's grip and pulled the back of her brother's jacket, forcing him behind her and focusing her power on creating some kind of barrier between them and the Guardian. It wasn't much, she didn't have time to get her energy focused, and when he released his attack, she could feel herself falling forward, could feel her chest constricting and her eyes going black.

Just before she lost consciousness, she felt a pair of strong arms catch her.

* * *

"Bada," Tian said, interrupting whatever she'd been saying to the younger boy she was talking to, "take a look at this." He held out a small holochip, dropping it into his partner's hand. "It's from Alice."

She turned dark eyes on the older man, questioning his dark look. His lips were pressed together in a firm line, eyebrows contracted, causing a small crease between them, and he wouldn't quite look her in the eyes. "Is everything alright?"

He shook his head slightly, prompting her to look at the contents of the holochip.

"Kyle, could you excuse us?"

"No, Kyle, stay. I think you should see this, too." He nodded at the chip.

With just a hint of hesitancy, Bada activated it, pressing her thumb lightly over the touch pad. With a small flash, an image of Alice's face appeared in front of them, slightly static and cutting out every now and then, but as she listened to the message, Bada couldn't help the way her heart sank.

"_I received a message today telling me that Oslo sent a Guardian to find me on Puerto Angel. They were wondering why they'd send someone there when the Sphere knows I'm here, and I'm wondering the same thing. Can you explain this?_"

The picture flickered out, leaving the image of Alice's concerned, angry face imprinted in their minds. Bada looked at Kyle then back to Tian. "I suppose we'd better go explain, then."


End file.
